The Office - Job Fair

"Job Fair" starts off with a simple enough concept. Michael, and a handful of his employees, are going to a local school to try to find an intern for the summer. But as all episodes of The Office go, a simple situation quickly becomes awkward and hilarious when mixed with Michael Scott.

The eventual and inevitable meltdown at the job fair is Michael at his best. His interactions with a prospective intern, offhand remarks to Pam, and overall game plan all epitomize Steve Carrell's character to a tee. As always, Michael Scott starred in this episode by making audiences everywhere laugh and cringe at the same time.

The other big star of "Job Fair" was Andy, a character I initially disliked but have grown to enjoy. Although the second storyline was meant to revolve around Jim, Andy really took the spotlight from the get-go as the two, along with Kevin and a potential client, went golfing. His various mishaps on the golf course were hilarious, culminating in a laugh-out-loud scene in which Andy tries to win ten dollars in a golf cart race.

Meanwhile, back in the office, Phyllis, Stanley, Meredith, and Creed all leave early because neither Michael nor Jim is at work. This leaves only Dwight and Angela, both of whom refuse to leave before closing time. And although nothing really happens, there are subtle hints of a possible rekindling made. This has been going on for a while now, as last week Angela was visibly impressed at Dwight's ability to swindle Andy out of a car and flip it for profit.

What does it all mean? Who knows. But the writers of The Office seem to have a knack for slowly building stories, see Jim and Pam relationship, so I wouldn't expect it to be resolved in next week's finale.

Not that that is a bad thing. One of my favorite parts about this show is that it is able to add extra dimensions to every character without having to force the issue. For instance, who would have thought that Pam's affinity for art ever would have led her to the path she seems close to embarking on now?

Overall this was a pretty good episode that opened the door to many new and interesting possibilities for the future of the show.

Score - 8.4/10